Roy Foster made the coast-to-coast jump from USC to the Dolphins as the 24th overall pick in 1982, a consensus All-American guard who had won the Morris Trophy twice as the Pac-10’s top lineman. He saw limited action as a rookie in the strike-shortened season and started only once the following year, but by 1984 he had locked down the starting left guard spot and held it for most of the next six seasons.

He became a mainstay on an offensive line that protected Dan Marino during some of the quarterback’s peak years. Foster earned Pro Bowl selections after the 1985 and 1986 seasons and started nearly every game from 1984 through 1989, helping the Dolphins reach Super Bowls XVII and XIX. A powerful run blocker with the athleticism to handle edge rushers in pass protection, he was a reliable presence on units that ranked among the league’s best in scoring and yardage. In 1984, the Dolphins’ offense set records while Foster started every game; two years later, the team again led the NFL in points with him anchoring the left side. By 1990 he had lost the starting job to a younger player.

After the 1990 season, he left as a Plan B free agent and signed with the San Francisco 49ers. In nine seasons with Miami, he appeared in 132 games and started 95 of them. Foster’s run as a Pro Bowl guard made him a key piece of those high-powered Dolphins offenses.

Not many punters get drafted, but Reggie Roby did in 1983, when the Dolphins selected the Iowa product in the sixth round. He quickly established himself as one of the league’s better punters, using a powerful leg and a distinctive two-step approach to boom kicks with consistency. As a rookie, he already averaged over 43 yards per punt, and he only improved.

He earned Pro Bowl selections after the 1984 and 1989 seasons and was named first-team All-Pro in 1984. Roby regularly ranked among the league leaders in yards per punt early in his Miami career and led the NFL with a 45.7 average in 1991. His hang time and distance made him a reliable field-position weapon for the Dolphins throughout the decade, and he set a franchise single-game average record with a 58.5-yard effort in 1986. He also once punted 77 yards in a game, a team mark at the time.

The Dolphins released him after the 1992 season amid declining performance and contract issues. In 10 seasons with Miami, he punted 555 times for more than 24,000 yards. His production during those years later earned him a spot on the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team.

Maurkice Pouncey's twin brother, Mike Pouncey, joined the Dolphins as the 15th overall pick in 2011, a center from Florida. He started all 16 games as a rookie and earned All-Rookie honors, quickly establishing himself as a solid presence at center.

He settled in as the team’s primary center and earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2013 to 2015 (including one while playing guard in 2014). When healthy, Pouncey was durable, starting every game he appeared in during his time in Miami, and he gave the Dolphins a reliable interior anchor for several seasons. A physical, technically sound blocker, he excelled at controlling the line of scrimmage in the run game while holding up well in pass protection.

Injuries limited him at times, particularly a hip issue that cut short his 2016 season, but he bounced back to start all 16 games in 2017. After that campaign, he asked for his release; the team granted it, and he moved on.

In seven seasons with the Dolphins, he started all 93 games he played. His consistent production and Pro Bowl recognition made him one of the better centers of his era in Miami.

Tim Ruddy joined the Dolphins as a second-round pick in 1994, a Notre Dame center who was a second-team All-American as a senior. He spent his rookie season as a backup, appearing in all 16 games but not starting any, before taking over the job full-time as a sophomore.

From 1995 onward, he started at center, handling the first snap in nearly every game he played. Ruddy anchored the line for Dan Marino through the end of the Hall of Famer’s career and later protected the pocket and opened holes for Ricky Williams during Williams’ 1,853-yard season in 2002. He was durable once he became a starter, missing only a handful of games over the rest of his career, and the Dolphins reached the playoffs seven times without posting a losing record during his decade in Miami. In 2000, his consistency earned him a Pro Bowl selection—the first for a Dolphins center since Dwight Stephenson.

Injuries limited him in 2003, his final season. He still started most of the games he appeared in, but the physical toll had caught up with him. Miami released him the following offseason after he failed a physical, ending his 10-year run with the team. In those 10 seasons, he appeared in 156 games and started 140. Ruddy’s steady presence in the middle of the offensive line made him a reliable, understated piece of those Dolphins teams.